Michelle Tinkhof, group commercial and imports director at C Steinweg Group
Full Name: Michelle Tinkhof
Position and Company Name: Group commercial and imports director at C. Steinweg Group for Sub-Saharan and Eastern Africa
Main Activity of the Company: C. Steinweg Group is a provider of storage, handling, forwarding, chartering and other logistics services
Date and Place of Birth: June 23, 1981, Johannesburg
Schools and Tertiary Education: Matric, Linden High School; BCom (Marketing), University of Johannesburg (UJ); BCom (Hons) – Logistics, UJ; PDBA and MBA, Gordon Institute of Business Science
First Job: I started in a marketing and events company, looking after operations
Size of First Pay Packet: R5 000 a month
Value of Assets under Your Control: We are a private company, so I am unable to share this, but we are definitely the leader in Eastern and Southern Africa from a size point of view – if you look at our warehouse/space footprint
Number of People under Your Leadership: 100
Management Style: Collaborative – I enjoy working with a team and getting the best out of them
Personal Best Achievement: Becoming the youngest MD at UTI to head up sub-Saharan Africa; UTI was subsequently acquired by DSV
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Life: My husband – he is always driving me to be better and to push myself. He is my biggest fan
Person Who Has Had the Biggest Influence on Your Career: A previous head of freight forwarding for Africa and Middle East at UTI who gave me a lot of opportunities at a young age and mentored me to be where I am today
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Siya Kolisi
Businessperson Who Has Impressed You Most: Lebogang Letsoalo, who used to work at Sasol but now has her own business and is a nonexecutive director of Transnet. She is a powerful and inspirational woman
Philosophy of Life: Nothing comes for free and you need to work hard for everything you want to achieve. But, most importantly, work hard and play hard
Biggest Ever Opportunity: Becoming the MD of UTI and being the commercial director for the group at C. Steinweg Bridge for Africa
Biggest Ever Disappointment: When UTI was sold, due to mismanagement by the board in the US, which tried to implement a new system that they designed themselves instead of buying an off-the-shelf system
Hope for the Future: That Africa realises its own potential and plays a more dominant role in the world
Favourite Reading: Invictus Poem: I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul
Favourite TV Programme: I don’t watch TV
Favourite Food/Drink: Wine
Favourite Music: Oldies – 60s, 70s and 80s
Favourite Sport: Golf
Hobbies: Golf, reading and spending time with my family
Car: BMW X3
Pets: Two English Bulldogs, a Golden Retriever and two cats
Miscellaneous Dislikes: People who lie and people who take credit for things that are not theirs
Married: To Dirk Goedhart
Children: Ben Goedhart, 5
Clubs: Bryanston Country Club